A Ferris wheel spins in front of Los Angeles City Hall at a mini “Pop-Up” fair in Grand Park in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The LA County Fair will open Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 22 at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

LA County Fair opens Labor Day weekend as usual, but this year it’s taking the “labor” aspect literally by offering union workers a discount on the holiday.

For the second year in a row, Fairplex will also host “LA County Day” on Sept. 1, followed by the newly announced “Union Day” Sept. 2. Discounted tickets for each of these days will be $8.

To commemorate the announcement, Tuesday, Aug. 6., Fairplex officials brought a taste of the fair to Grand Park, a pop-up event complete with a Ferris wheel ride and a handful of carnival games.

Visitors walk past a giant rooster at the mini “Pop-Up” fair in Grand Park in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The LA County Fair will open on Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 22 at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Fairplex CEO Miguel A. Santana talks about upgraded security measures for this year’s LA County Fair in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The fair will open on Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 22 at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger, left, and Hilda Solis pose with “Lilly” and “Thummer” at a mini “Pop-Up” fair in Grand Park in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The LA County Fair will open Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 22 at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Albert Camacho of Los Angeles poses in a chicken for friends at a mini “Pop-Up” fair in Grand Park in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The LA County Fair opens Aug. 30 and runs through Sept. 22 at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

A Ferris wheel spins in front of Los Angeles City Hall at a mini “Pop-Up” fair in Grand Park in Los Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The LA County Fair will open Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 22 at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“We have a lot of hardworking folks in Southern California that are part of unions, as well as the bulk of our workers, and I think it’s really important that we help them out and get families out to the fair,” Heidi Hanson, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Fair Association Board of Directors, said after taking a quick ride on the Ferris wheel set up at Grand Park.

Less than an hour after the free mini version of the fair had opened, a steady stream of workers and park patrons were lining up to get on the Ferris wheel and play games.

The 2019 LA County Fair kicks off Aug. 30 and has been dubbed “LA County Fair Goes Pop!” The fair runs through Sept. 22 and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except Labor Day.

Making the fair affordable to families has been a key point for Fairplex CEO Miguel Santana. When he was a young father of four daughters, he said, part of his family tradition was to take them to the fair.

“It could be expensive,” he said. “That’s why we’re providing such a great deal for our families.”

Residents in the county, and union members who can provide proof of membership, can purchase $8 discounted tickets online. At the gate, tickets will be $12. General admission is typically $20, Santana said.

Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger joined Santana at the terrace of Grand Park Tuesday morning for the announcement.

Visitors to the 2019 fair can expect to find larger-than-life pop art, which will pay homage to L.A.’s movies, music, art and architecture. That includes a replica of the Hollywood sign, a replica of the Watts Towers, as well as a pair of woolly mammoths fighting extinction in the La Brea Tar Pits, and as Santana revealed, a replica of Los Angeles City Hall.

“Without fail, the team always captures the essence of Los Angeles County cultures and this year is no exception,” she said. “As ‘LA County Fair Goes Pop!’ we anticipate that this will be the most poppin’ event of the year to celebrate.”

Liset Márquez covers the cities of Pomona, Claremont, La Verne and San Dimas for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. A beat reporter for the Bulletin since 2006, she previously wrote for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She keeps a watchful eye on city councils and the Dodgers.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.